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D. BARKER. TOBACCO 'STEMMING MACHINE.

No. 598,471. PaJt ented Feb. 1,1898.

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V TOBACCO STEMMINGMAUHINE. NO. 598,471. Patented Feb. '1, 1898'.

NITED DELL BARKER, OF MADISON, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TO HENRYO. HARRISON, OF SAME PLACE.

TOBACCO-STEMMING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 598,471, dated February1, 1898. Application filed August 16, 1897. Serial No. 648,423. (Nomodel.)

. provide a new and improved machine for stemming tobacco-leaves; and toaccomplish this object the invention consists in the features ofconstruction and in the combinations or arrangements of partshereinafter described and claimed, reference being made totheaccompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of thepreferred form of construction of myinvention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of Fig. 1. a section on line y 1 Fig. 4. Fig.4 is afront elevation of a pair of reciprocating knives. Fig. 5 is across-section on line a; m, Fig. 4.. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of oneof the knife-stocks and knives attached.

In the accompanying drawings, the stripping-cutters are shown asreciprocating, which is the preferred form of construction.

A represents the frame of the machine; A, the posts; B, the maindriving-shaft5 O, the driving-pulley, and O, a belt or sprocketchainpassing over the pulley 0, driving the crank-shaft D.

E represents a pulley driving a belt or sprocketchain E, engaging overthe pulley E, driving the rollers F F. These rollers are preferablyrubber and are given'positive uniform motion by means of cog-gears a aon each end of rollers F F.

G represents the pressure-bar; g, a setscrew for regulating the pressureof said bar, so asto control the tension of rolls F F.

H H represent pitmen driven by the crankshaft D and operating thecross-head I. This cross-head travels vertically in ways 1), formed inthe frame of the machine upon each side. Said guideways are curved atthe lower ends a, passing out the sides of the posts, so as to.

allow the cross-head to be readily taken out and inserted. Upon thiscross-head is mounted a series of knife-stocks K. These stocks arepreferably made of considerable width,

and their top ends are V-shaped, with the a Very important result.

Fig. 3 is apex upward, so as to form guides for feeding the stems oftobacco down between the cutters. In the preferred form of constructionsaid stocks are inclined forward or away from the rolls. (See Fig. 3.)This forward inclination tends to prevent the tobacco from rising on theupward stroke of the cutters, and also gives a shear cut.

L represents cutter-blades attached to the inner edges of said stocks.cl represents gages on the knife stocks against the inner face of thecutter-blade. The cutter-blades project but a slight way beyond saidgages. These gages accomplish The tobacco-leaf is very thin, and a verysmall amount of edge projection for the cutters. is required forsevering the leaf from its stem. When a slight projection only is made,the knives have but little or no tendency to cut into the stems, whichare sometimes of irregular shape. The stems are drawn through betweenthe knives by the bite of the rolls F F, and with the knives arranged ashere shown there is no danger of the stem being severed in the operationof stripping.

' M represents a guard or forward projection of the knife-stock, whichprevents the leaf from rising and passing over the top of the stock. Itwill be observed that in the preferred form shown in Fig.4c the cuttingedges of the two knives are inclined so as to form a wider space betweenthe cutters at the top.

than at the bottom. This is for the purpose of allowing the thickestportion of the stem to be readily fed between the cutters. It will alsobe observed that the forward edges of the knives are nearer togetherthan their rear edges.

Mode of operation: The machine is set in operation, the knife-stock andknives being continuously reciprocated vertically, and the stem graspingand feeding rolls F F are continuously revolved. The tobacco-leaf ispresented with the projecting end of the stem inserted between the topsof the. knife-stocks, and as they drop down the stem is grasped by therolls and drawn through, the traveling cutters severing the leaf byscraping or cutting it upon each side of the stem, which'is drawn. clearthrough the rollers, while the l and without danger of severing thestems or tearing the leaf.

knife stocks and guards keep the leaf from being drawn through, and itfalls down out of the Way, thus being stripped from the stem andseparated. I have found that by this mechanism the stems can be strippedfrom the leaves when the tobacco is quite moist or wet with but verylittle Waste of the tobacco Having described my invention, I clai1n 1.In a tobacco-stemming machine, the combination with a pair of rolls, andmeans for revolving them, of a pair of reciprocating verticallyarranged, parallel spaced knives provided with gages to prevent severingthe stems, knife-stocks having guards to prevent the tobacco-leaf frombeing drawn through the rolls, and means for operating said knives,substantially as specified.

2. In combination with a pair of revolving rolls, a pair ofreciprocating, vertically-arranged, parallel-spaced knives traveling infront of the rolls, guards attached to the knifestocks for preventingthe leaves from being drawn through the rolls, and means for operatingthe knives, substantially as specified.

3. In combination with a pair of revolving rolls, a pair ofreciprocating vertically-arranged, parallel-spaced knife-stocks,knifeblades adj ustably secured to the inner edges of said knife-stocks,guards carried by the kn ife-stocks to prevent the tobacco-leaf frompassing through the rolls, gages for the knifeblades, and means foroperating the rolls and knives, substantially as specified.

4. In a tobacco-stemmingmachine employ- 1 ing a pair of revolving rollsadapted to grasp the stems of tobacco-leaves, a pair of inclinedknife-stocks with vertically-arranged, parallel-spaced knife-bladesattached to their inner edges, and mechanism for reciprocating saidknife-stocks, substantially as specified.

5. In a tobacco-stemming machine employing a pair of revolving rolls, apair of reciprocating vertically-arranged, parallel-spaced knife-stocks,and knife-blades attached to the inner edges of said stocks, andinclined so as to form a V-shaped space between the edges of the knives,substantially as specified.

6. In a tobacco-stemming machine the combination of a pair of rollers, apair of travel-- ing cutters set with their faces adjacent to each otherwith a space between them sufficiently wide to allow the passage of atobaccostem, means for operating said knives, and a gage applied to theoutside face of each knife, substantially as specified.

7. In atobacco-stemming machine, the combination of a pair of rollers, apair of reciprocating, vertically-arranged, parallel-spaced knife-stockshaving V-shaped guards at the top of the stocks, knives attached to theinner edges of said stocks, and means for reciprocating said knives,substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

DELL BARKER.

Witnesses:

OLIVER B. KAISER, W. R. WOOD.

